WELCOME

Issue 188

Trapped in amber

© Getty Around 99 million years ago, this

Supernova study

© X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI; IR: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/Milisavljevic et

Hiding in plain sight

© Getty This is the Vietnamese mossy frog,

Carving Jefferson’s face

© Getty In this image from the 1940s,

A trillion cicadas will descend on the US this spring in a rare event

GLOBAL EYE Showcasing the incredible world we live

The brightest black hole ever discovered devours a Sun’s worth of matter every day

An artist’s impression of a bright quasar Scientists

SCIENTISTS ACCIDENTALLY CREATE THE WORLD’S TIGHTEST, SMALLEST KNOT

Scientists recently tied the smallest, tightest knot ever

A JADE MASK DEPICTING A MAYA STORM GOD UNEARTHED IN AROYAL TOMB

A 1,700-year-old royal tomb in Guatemala is overflowing

Bedbugs plagued Britain 1,900 years ago

Bedbugs have been plaguing the British for at

The universe might be merging with other ‘baby universes’, causing it to expand

A new theoretical study suggests that the universe

Anuclear fusion reactor in the UK has set a new world record for energy output

GLOBAL EYE Inside the JET tokamak, with a

New mRNA ‘cancer vaccine’ trial launches in the UK

An 81-year-old man from Surrey became the first

Genomes of 51 animal species mapped in record time

Researchers just mapped and published the genomes of

Colossal underwater canyon discovered in the Mediterranean Sea

A newly discovered underwater canyon was carved out

ATINY ASTEROID JUST SNUCK BE TWEEN EARTH AND THE MOON

Did you know? Vesta, the largest asteroid, is

WISH LIST

The latest WEARABLEGADGETS

BRAINDUMP

Amazing answers to your curious questions

THE LIBRARY

The latest book releases for curious minds

HOW TO…

Practical projects to try at home

INBOX

Speak your mind

FAST FACTS

Amazing trivia that will blow your mind

THE SCIENCE OF ECLIPSES

Every now and then, the Earth, Moon and Sun line up to produce an amazing spectacle in the sky

DEEP-SPACE COMMUNICATION

How scientists keep tabs on spacecraft as they journey into the vast expanse of the universe

GAS MASK EVOLUTION

What prompted the invention of a mask that could provide clean air in polluted and poisonous environments?

UNLOCKING BRITAIN’S ANCIENT PAST

How a team of archaeologists, palaeontologists and earth scientists created a clear view of who our distant relatives were and how they lived

WHY VAPING IS BAD FOR YOU

How inhaling this flavoured aerosol affects your lungs and impacts the body

THE POWER OF THERMITE

When iron and aluminium mix, the consequences can be explosive

WHAT IS WIND CHILL?

How windy conditions can make you shiver, even on a warm day

12 BIG SCIENCE DISCOVERIES

These breakthroughs sent shock waves through their scientific fields

BLOCKING OUT NOISE

How your brain tunes out the distracting sights and sounds of the outside world

SILENT BUT SUPERSONIC?

How NASA’s latest experimental jet is designed to soften its sonic boom

HOW HOT-AIR BALLOONS FLY

Creating changes in air density is key to getting balloons off the ground and into the skies

HOW ANIMALS HUNT

The strategies and techniques that the world’s predators use to catch their prey

WHAT IS AN OASIS?

These hidden hubs sustain life in the desolate desert

SURPRISING WAYS NATURAL DISASTERS CAN TURN DEADLY

Forget rivers of lava and strong winds… Earth’s most furious moments claim their victims in unexpected ways

OPTIMUS GEN 2

Automotive company Tesla is reducing the limitations of robotics with its latest humanoid reveal

WORLD’S FIRST WIRELESS TRANSPARENT TV

Inside the next generation of television tech